THANK THE FORCE FOR GEORGE LUCAS AND SWEU!
Disclaimer: The amazing Star Wars characters, locations, Basic language terms and certain turn of phrases were created by and belong to the various authors, publishers, George Lucas and Lucasfilm. I don't claim ownership, nor seek any credcoins, nor is it meant to be represented as part of canon. This fan-fiction is written out of Force-blind imagination and is meant as entertainment only.
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Timeframe: 47 Years ABY - AU but maybe not
Summary: Set the scene for Jaina to reveal the truth of Jag's impending fatherhood to her unsuspecting husband.
Notes: An old entry for the July 2006 J/J Summer Challenge - needs to use these words, boom, clone, Yoda, pot, and dig; and follow scene subject above.
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Jaina crossed the mag barrier, performed a deft turn and lowered her star fighter to land in the middle of her squad mates. Jaina let out an audible sigh. She was tired, but was reasonably sure that her landing was flawless, even if it had been completed with no conscious thought. Maybe it was this latest training mission: Any patience she had gained since the Yuuzhan Vong war was being tested lately by too many cocky young pilots. I must have driven Gavin crazy when I flew with the Rogues.
Using the Force, she sprang from her StealthX cockpit to the deck plates, shucked her helmet and made for the debrief room. Once she finished speaking with her pilots, she would be on a four-day furlough, her first in a nearly a year.
The dizziness hit Jaina suddenly. Her step faltered and she almost collapsed. It was only because of a firm grip on her left arm that she stayed upright. Appreciation quickly mixed with annoyance, because this meant one of her squadron had witnessed her plight.
"Commander, are you alright?"
"Yes." At least it was Divinity Two and not one of the trainees.
"Then why are you fainting all over the hangar?"
"I did not faint, Lieutenant Commander. It was nothing, and I'm fine."
"I am sure the Admiral would be interested in this bit of 'nothing'."
Jaina took inventory of their immediate surroundings; the landing bay was relatively empty at the moment, then stepped closer to him, "Are you threatening me, Fel?"
"No…sorry… Jaina… I'm just…"
Noticing the concern in his brown eyes, she relaxed her stance and exhaled slowly, causing her bangs to lift. He was also the squadron's medic, who was probably just trying to determine if his sister-in-law required assistance.
"Listen, Cem, I just need a warm meal and a little sleep that is all."
He raised his hands in a motion of surrender, "Okay, okay, I'll leave you alone. But if it happens again, comm me, and I think you should check in with a med-droid."
"I will look into it later, I promise."
"You had better, or I will be forced to tell my brother exactly how you spent the pot from our last Sabacc game. You can claim that bantha of trouble was not your fault, but we both know he will see right through it. Now, that was a threat." Cem finished the last in motion as he started down the corridor.
Jaina laughed in spite of herself.
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Two hours later, she finally entered the quarters she shared with her husband. It is good to be home. Jaina wondered at how normal it seemed that their home was an officer's berth on the Super Star Destroyer Valiant. She supposed her comfort there stemmed from the fact that she had spent half her life aboard one kind of vessel or another. She liked the bare functionality, as well as the familiarity of the military ship.
Besides, it had taken her long enough to discover that 'home' was wherever Jag was currently residing, and their physical dwelling did not matter.
Jaina's rolling stomach pulled her from her reverie; she walked over to the small food prep area and started to dig in the refrigeration unit in search of a vitaprotein freeze. She was in luck, Jag knew better than to take the last one.
The food, while delicious, did little to recharge Jaina; she was starting to wonder at her continued exhaustion. There was much to be accomplished and her skills as a pilot and instructor were always in demand. Every Commander was pulling extra training rotations on top of their regular schedule, and Jaina was also occasionally called away for Jedi missions. Yet, she was no busier than at any other point in the last twenty years.
Was it possible Cem was correct, and something more was going on? Could her dizziness and headaches be symptoms of some medical issue, and her constant desire for sleep, further evidence? She tried to recall if she had been exposed to any illness recently. All the pilots in her squadron were in operational health, she was the only one afflicted.
Wait, could I be pregnant?
No.
Jaina and Jag had been trying to have a baby for so long, practically since the day they were married, always with the same negative results. All of the routine med examinations showed no anomalies, she was assured it would 'just take time'. Even so, last month they had filed their application to start the adoption process. That way if she eventually became pregnant, they would be twice blessed. Jag had always wanted a large family like his own, and Jaina had come to desire motherhood with the same intensity that drove her as an officer, a pilot and a Jedi. She would not give up.
Still, Jaina secretly feared that the Force had decided the galaxy was better off without any more Skywalker descendants to be tempted by the ways of the Sith. And she further worried over the possibility that it was unfair to pass that legacy on to a child.
Always in motion the future is. One of Uncle Luke's often quoted lessons from Yoda sounded in Jaina's head.
With new hope, Jaina slowly sat cross-legged on the floor and allowed the Force to flow within her. Drawing deep breaths, Jaina used the energy to enhance her meditation, searching within herself and her connection to the Force. It did not take long for her to find the wonderful truth. She – they – would soon have a child to love. Jaina attempted to communicate with the baby through the Force, but it was still too early.
While she was certain Jag would take her word for it, she went into the 'fresher, found the portable medkit and confirmed her impending motherhood with a blood test.
She wanted to tell him right away. Glancing at her wrist chrono, Jaina concluded that Jag was most likely in the command center rather than his office. She decided not to call him away from his duties, so she entered their bedroom and settled on the bed with her datapad to compose a message to her parents.
Jaina was asleep in minutes.
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Jagged Fel unsuccessfully willed the turbolift to move faster. He knew Divinity squadron had returned that afternoon and that Jaina would be back home by this hour. He exited the lift and continued through the officers' level, hoping not to run into anyone tonight. Sometimes he almost wished he had accepted the private stateroom his rank had afforded, but they both preferred it where they were.
Unbuttoning his uniform Jag entered the bedroom, only to find his wife sitting up in bed, snoring. She was so beautiful, loud, but exquisite just the same. He removed the idle datapad from her hand and placed it on the side shelf. He was surprised she didn't stir when he touched her, and since she clearly needed her sleep, he figured their reunion could wait until morning.
And he admitted that his trepidation at sharing the unpleasant news he had received earlier, played a part in his decision to let her sleep.
He lay down beside her and pulled Jaina into his arms.
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The sensation of being watched woke Jaina from the best night's rest she had experienced in over a week. She turned to meet Jag's pale green eyes with a content smile.
"Hey, Admiral."
"Good morning. Or rather, good afternoon, my Goddess."
She wiped the last vestiges of sleep from her eyes and stretched her body like a sand panther. It was probably only 0900, but to Jag that was half the day. She got out of bed and crossed the room to sit on her husband's lap.
"Did you miss me?"
"Every minute," Jag captured her lips and proved his words with the intensity of his kiss. "As a matter of fact, I cleared my schedule for the day, just in case you required a reminder of how much I love you."
"And just how much is that again?"
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Jaina had not noticed while she was eating two heaping servings, but the smell of gukked eggs lingered in the air and it was starting to turn her stomach. The implications of her queasiness brought a smile to her face. Jaina hadn't had the chance yet to share her news with Jag. Over lunch, she had updated Jag on the individual progress of her new pilots and on the details of the training mission. She was still trying to figure out how to direct the conversation to her announcement, when Jag's question made her immediately wary.
"Do you feel like trying your luck against me on the sparring mats or in the flight simulators, this afternoon?"
"What is it?"
Jag's expression remained neutral. "Are you worried I will best you again?"
"Don't try to distract me by playing to my vanity, every time you suggest we spar or sim lately, you have bad news. You know that I will want to work off my anger or frustration afterwards. Now, just jettison it."
"Not every time… but I did speak with the representative from the Displaced Children Administration yesterday, and there was another delay processing our request."
Irritation spiked in Jaina, she was suspicious after the first delay, but this confirmed it. "Are you going to deny this is because I am a Jedi? Let me see if I understand this, when it comes to fighting battles, defining strategy, or training soldiers being a Jedi is tolerated, but some low level bureaucrat with an outdated prejudice thinks my adopting a child is unacceptable?"
"Jay, while some traditionalists still cling to old fears that serve no one, you know that is not the prevailing attitude. This is just an isolated example and I already have a message in to his superior that won't be ignored."
Jaina knew Jag was right, that she had been welcomed by the vast majority. Maybe she was overreacting. The delay could be explained by the higher risks they both faced in their current military careers, combined with the fewer orphaned children in this time of relative peace.
"Let's go, but I am flying the clawcraft."
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Jaina banked her clawcraft to port and slipped behind the X-Wing flying as Jag's wingman. The pilot immediately sent his fighter into a sharp dive in an attempt to break her target lock. She recognized Cem's strategy and compensated her altitude before hitting him with a barrage of laser fire.
After the boom of the simulated explosion quieted, Jaina hailed the pilot on an open frequency, "Nice try and that move would have worked on a less familiar opponent. I will catch you again later Cem."
Jaina waited for Cem to exit the sim, and then switched her comlink so that it broadcast to only the remaining participant, "It is just you and me now, Fel."
—click—
Ah, so he wants to play it that way. Jaina rolled her clawcraft in a lazy spiral and vectored away, breaking her pursuit.
"By the way, nice work on the rest of my flight trio, Jag; perhaps the Empire chose to clone the wrong Fel?"
—click—
Jaina laughed into the silence and checked Jag's location on her display. He was tracking her movements, following her, but did not come close enough to engage. Increasing her velocity, she performed a half loop and flew her inverted fighter back towards Jag. As she approached she slowed the clawcraft's engines and drifted a few meters above him.
"You want to dance, darling? I am sure I could find a slinky red dress somewhere on this tug of yours."
Finishing her maneuver, Jaina rolled her fighter and came up on his exhaust ports. His X-Wing quickly started evasive actions, avoiding her with practiced ease. She wondered if that last comment might be enough to push him beyond comlink clicks.
She was not disappointed, when he finally responded, "Is this some new combat tactic, Commander Fel, trying to banter your opponent into falling out of the sky, a little more psychological warfare from the Trickster Goddess?"
"Well you chose the name of my squadron for a reason."
Jaina recalled that day with a wry smile, Jag had been sure she would recoil at his suggestion that her newly formed squadron be designated Divinity. She had surprised him with not only her easy acceptance but her warm appreciation. Since its inception, the moniker had always sounded like a caress when coming from Jagged Fel. To be reminded of it was never a bad thing.
Jaina suddenly found herself on the defensive, Jag had used her slight delay to position his fighter for a head-to-head attack run. She tried to focus her attention on shooting him down. It had taken her a long while to be comfortable simming against him at all, after the events over Tenupe. Jaina knew his love and sheer determination had been the most important factors in her healing after she left the Nest.
Again her pondering cost her; warning klaxons alerted Jaina that Jag's X-Wing had a hard lock on her and she reflexively spiraled trying to break it before he could fire a protorp her way.
"Jagged? Umm, by the way, I'm pregnant."
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"You're absolutely sure?"
They were back in their quarters, talking about their impending parenthood over a late dinner of nerf cheese and plaitfruit.
"Yes, my love, you know I am."
"I know. I am happy, excited, and still just a little bit in awe." He smiled a huge smile and squeezed Jaina gently as they sat on the couch holding each other.
"Awed enough for you to stop dead in the middle of battle and let yourself be 'killed'… again."
"Yeah, Cem is never going to let me live that one down. Hoping to cash in on the betting pool going as to who would take me out, he set the sim to broadcast on the monitors in the officers' viewing gallery. It must have been a sight for them to behold, watching my X-Wing hang in space, just waiting for your lasers."
A rare giggle escaped Jaina's lips over the image he described. She kissed her husband passionately.
"I will make it up to you, I promise…and you can have my half of the winnings."
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JSF/ojn